Garment hanger



Aug. 1962 c. N. BIRNBAUM 3,050,221

GARMENT HANGER Filed March 1, 1960 //V VENT 0R b 262 Km 2a Z54 Z9 jjgf/g w 7M ATTORNEYS.

United States Patent 3,050,221 GARMENT HANGER Charles N. Birnbaum, New York, N.Y., assignor to C. Birnbaum, Ltd., New York, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed Mar. 1, 1960, Ser. No. 12,180 3 Claims. (Cl. 223-91) This invention relates to a garment hanger, and more particularly to a garment hanger and trouser support structure adapted to hold trousers with cuffs and without cuffs.

An object of the present invention is to provide, in combination with a base and standard adapted to receive garments, a trouser support device equipped with means for holding trousers with cuffs and without cuffs. A further object is to provide, in combination with a support and stationary clip structure, means for readily securing trousers with or without cufls in position and locking means for clamping the trousers in suspended position. A still further object is to provide a garment support comprising a base and garment hanger standard for supporting a stationary clip and in combination therewith swinging means for supporting trousers with cuffs and without cuffs, two pairs or more, and means for securing the trousers in suspended position. Other spe cific objects and advantages will appear as the specification proceeds.

The invention is shown, in an illustrative embodiment, by the accompanying drawing, in which FIGURE 1 is a perspective view in elevation of hanger apparatus embodying my invention; FIG. 2, a vertical sectional view of the trouser hanger structure; FIG. 3, a broken top plan View of the structure shown in FIG. 2; and FIG. 4, a perspective View of the trouser hanger structure equipped with a modified form of latching mechanism.

In the illustration given, A designates a garment sup port or hanger, and B a hanger for trousers.

The support A may be of any suitable type or construction. In the illustration given, it consists of a base on which is mounted a standard 11, the topmost part of the standard 11 comprising a coat hanger 12 equipped with a support bracket 13.

The standard 11 may be formed in any suitable man ner. I prefer to form the structure with crossbars 14 and 15 so that the crossbars may be used as supports for trousers, ties, and various other garments. Preferably, the crossbars 14 and 15 are located between separate column members 16, 17 and 18 and the parts may be connected by screws carried by certain of the columns and extending into threaded recesses in the other columns, the crossbars 14 and 15 being apertured to receive the screw elements. For example, the column 17 may be provided at its top with a projecting screw (not shown) extending through an end aperture in bar 14 and into a threaded recess in the member 18. Similarly, the column 16 may be provided at its upper end with a projecting screw which extends through an end recess in the bar 15 and into a threaded socket in the member 17. The lower end of each column 16 may be provided with a screw extending through the base bar 10a and secured on the underside 'by a wing-nut. As above stated, the base and standard structure may be of any suitable construction, but it should provide at its top a stationary bracket for supporting the trouser-carrying mechanism B for cooperation therewith.

The trouser-supporting mechanism B comprises a block 19 apertured at 20 to receive a screw which extends into the support or bracket 13 of the structure A so as to firmly anchor the block 19 in stationary position. The

block or bracket 19 projects the trouser-supporting mechanism forwardly of the coat hanger 12 so :as not to interfere with the coat-hanging function and for supporting the trousers at a spaced distance forwardly of the member 12.

Secured to the forward end of the block 19 is a stationary clip 21 adapted to serve as a securing member for trousers whether equipped with cuifs or not. A slide member 22 extends forwardly of the clip 21 and is provided at its inner side with a movable or swingable clip 23. The clips 21 and 23 may be employed with or without felt coverings 24, as illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3. For some purposes, the felt 24 is useful, and for other purposes it is desired to omit the felt members The slide 22 is provided at its forward side with a tapered slot 25 having an entrance opening 25a. The slot tapers downwardly and inwardly and is adapted to receive trousers with cuffs for locking the same therein.

The slide 22 may be supported for swinging movement by any suitable mechanism. In the illustration given, the slide is provided with an inverted U-shaped wire member 26 having pivot portions 26a and having a forwardly-extending cam portion 26b. The cam portion 26b may be provided with a tubular wear sleeve 26c.

The stationary clip 21 is likewise provided with an inverted U-shaped member 27 which is looped about the hinge portions 26a at 27a, as shown best in FIG. 3, and the member 27 also has a horizontal portion 27b providing supports for the clamp member 28 shown equipped with a knob 29. The member 28 has looped portions 30 extending about the horizontal portions 27b of the wire element 27.

In the modification shown in FIG. 4, the movable clip 23a is provided with an inverted U-shaped member 31 and a stationary clip 21a is provided with an inverted U-shaped member 32, the member 32 being turned about the top portion 31a of member 31 to provide a hinge for the member 31. A clamp 33 has end portions 34 in the shape of a figure 8, one portion of the member 34 being looped about the member 32 and the other portion being looped about the member 31. The upright portions 31 and 32 may be suitably curved to enable the latching member 33 to effectively clampthe clip members 21a and 23a together when the clamp member 33 is moved downwardly.

There is a problem in the fastening of trousers upon a hanger, because a single person has but two hands and both hands are necessary to hold the trousers in position for securing them evenly within the clip parts. With the apparatus disclosed, the support A serves to maintain the block 19 and the clip 21 in stationary position, with the slide 22 also held outwardly therefrom. In the operation of the apparatus thus held in a stationary position, the user may place a heavy pair of trousers in the slide slot 25 so that the same are secured therein by the cuffs of the trousers, the weight of the trousers tending to move the slide inwardly toward the stationary clip 21. The user may then gather the bottom portions of a pair of trousers with or without cuiis and place them between the clips 21 and 23. The weight of the trousers carried by the slide 22 tends to swing the movable clip 23 toward the stationary clip 21 so as to grip the trouser portion placed between the clips.

The user may then swing the clamp 28 downwardly to engage the cam member 26b so as to move the parts in the latched position shown best in FIG. 2.

In the operation of the modified form of structure shown in FIG. 4, the weight of the trousers on the slide member 22a serves to provide a gripping of the trousers between the clip members 21a and 23a, and this action is further aided by the sliding downwardly of the member 33, the final gripping being accomplished with the trousers still being held in position between the clips by the conjoint action of the weighted slide 22 and the sliding member 33. In each of the structures shown, the weighted slides 22 and 22a are effective in causing a gripping of the trousers between the clips so as to hold the trousers until the final latching or clamping is accomplished.

It will be understood that two or more pairs of trousers may be secured between the clips or within the slotted recess 25 and, whether multiple pairs or single pairs are secured, the supporting of the hanger parts on the stationary support enables the pairs to be held smoothly in position through the use of the weighted slide member so that the user can employ both hands in holding the trouser bottoms in the securing operation.

While, in the foregoing specification, I have set forth a specific structure in considerable detail for the purpose of illustrating an embodiment of the invention, it will be understood that such details may be varied widely by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of my invention.

I claim:

1. In combination, a base and garment hanger standard carried thereby, said standard providing a stationary bar having a clip surface, a slide providing a clip surface opposed to and adapted to engage the clip surface of said stationary bar, said slide having a trouser- 30 2. In combination, a stationary support, a pair of inverted U-shaped members hingedly connected at their tops, a stationary bar having a clip surface carried by said stationary support and anchored to the lower end of one of said U-shaped members, a slide providing a clip surface opposed to and adapted to engage the clip surface of said stationary bar, said slide having therein a trouser slot tapering downwardly and inwardly and an access opening at the outer side thereof, and clamp means for urging said inverted U-shaped members toward each other.

3. In combination, a stationary standard, a coat hanger supported upon the top of said standard and equipped with a bracket support, a block secured to said support, a stationary bar supported by said block forwardly of said hanger and having a clip surface, a slide movably mounted and provided with a clip surface adapted to move toward said first-mentioned clip surface, pivotally connected members 'having one end secured by said stationary bar and the other secured to said slide for supporting said slide upon said bracket, and clamp means for rotating said pivotally connected members together, said slide being provided with a longitudinally-extending slot tapering downwardly and inwardly and having an entrance opening at the outer side of said slide.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 756,588 Coney et al. Apr. 5, 1904 1,519,324 Osborn Dec. 16, 1924 2,269,413 Warren Jan. 6, 1942 2,358,118 Williams Sept. 12, 1944 2,454,148 Fought Nov. 16, 1948 2,843,297 Jennette July 15, 1958 FOREIGN PATENTS 532,445 Germ-any Aug. 28, 1931 

